Ten Books That Celebrate Diversity/Diverse Characters

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created by The Broke and the Bookish. 

Ten Books That Celebrate Diversity/Diverse Characters
Example: features minority/religious minority, socioeconomic diversity, disabled MC,  neurotypical character, LGBTQ, etc.
(in no particular order)

These are the diverse books that I´ve read so far, I definitely need to read more diverse books.

Non-Caucasian Protagonists

The Immortal Rules (Blood of Eden #1) by Julie Kagawa: The main character of the series Allison Sekemoto is Asian. I really loved this trilogy.

The Girl of Fire and Thorns (Fire and Thorns #1) by Rae Carson: The main character of the series, Elisa has overweight and has dark skin.

Legend (Legend #1) by Marie Lu : Day´s main ethnicity is Mongolian.

How My Summer Went Up in Flames by Jennifer Salvato Doktorski : I read this book a long time ago, but if I remember correctly Rosalita is Italian/Mexican.

LGBTQ

Two Boys Kissing by David Levithan 

Proxy (Proxy #1) by Alex London

Far From You by Tess Sharpe

Made of Stars by Kelley York 

Disabled Main Character

Leaving Paradise (Leaving Paradise #1) by Simone Elkeles

I seriously couldn´t remember a lot YA books with a main character with a disability, this one was the only one I could remember after, I stare my computer for a while.

Simone Elkeles also have a trilogy with Mexican-born male leads.

Disfigured Main Character

Lover Awakened (Black Dagger Brotherhood #3) by J.R. Ward

Again, I had to search in the listopia on goodreads to find a book that I had read that apply to the criteria.

What are your favorite books so far this year?
Leave me your link in the comments.

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading?

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? is a meme hosted by Book Journey.

Each week we spotlight the books we are reading, planning on reading or just finished reading.

Click on the image to look description in Goodreads.

Finished reading

Witch Hunter (The Witch Hunter #1) by Virginia Boecker (4/5 stars)
Paper Towns by John Green
Reviews to come.

What I´m going to read next?

What are you reading today? 

Leave me your links!

Last Ten Books That Came Into My Possession

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created by The Broke and the Bookish. 

Last Ten Books That Came Into My Possession
(bought, library, review copies)
(in no particular order)

This is a sort of sneak peek to my Stacking the Shelves for the month of July.

FOR REVIEW

The Veil (Devil's Isle #1) by Chloe Neill

One by Sarah Crossan

BOUGHT

Hero (Woodcutter Sisters #2) by Alethea Kontis
A Thousand Pieces of You (Firebird #1) by Claudia Gray
The Kiss of Deception (The Remnant Chronicles #1) by Mary E. Pearson

Stone Cold Touch (The Dark Elements #2) by Jennifer L. Armentrout
The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

All Played Out (Rusk University #3) by Cora Carmack
Worth the Risk (The McKinney Brothers #2) by Claudia Connor
Half a King (Shattered Sea #1) by Joe Abercrombie

What books have you bought lately?

Leave me your link in the comments.

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading?

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? is a meme hosted by Book Journey.

Each week we spotlight the books we are reading, planning on reading or just finished reading.

Click on the image to look description in Goodreads.

Finished reading

The Ruby Circle (Bloodlines #6) by Richelle Mead (4.5/5) (Review)

The Jewel (The Lone City #1) by Amy Ewing (3.5/5) (Review)

Currently reading

What I´m going to read next?

What are you reading today? 

Leave me your links!

Review: The Jewel by Amy Ewing

Title: The Jewel (The Lone City #1)
Author: Amy Ewing
Publisher: HarperTeen
Release date: September 2nd 2014

Rating: 3.5/5

Buy on: Amazon | B&N | BookDepository

The Selection meets The Handmaid's Tale in this darkly riveting debut filled with twists and turns, where all that glitters may not be gold.

The Jewel means wealth, the Jewel means beauty—but for Violet, the Jewel means servitude. Born and raised in the Marsh, Violet finds herself living in the Jewel as a servant at the estate of the Duchess of the Lake. Addressed only by her number—#197—Violet is quickly thrown into the royal way of life. But behind its opulent and glittering facade, the Jewel hides its cruel and brutal truth, filled with violence, manipulation, and death.

Violet must accept the ugly realities of her life . . . all while trying to stay alive. But before she can accept her fate, Violet meets a handsome boy who is also under the Duchess's control, and a forbidden love erupts. But their illicit affair has consequences, which will cost them both more than they bargained for. And toeing the line between being calculating and rebellious, Violet must decide what, and who, she is willing to risk for her own freedom. 

The Lone City is a city divided by caste or social class and they´re divided in 5 circles surrounded by walls, the poorest are living in the Marshes, then is the Farms, then Smoke, the penultimate circle is Bank and finally in the center is the Jewel, which is where the royalty live.

And all girls who were born in the Marsh or the Farm are subjected to a blood test at puberty and if test is positive they´re sent to a holding facility where they are trained in Auguries (to manipulate color, shape and growth of objects or plants) and when they reach certain age they´re auctioned to the highest bidder as surrogates of Royalty. There their duty is to obey their masters, they are treated as property and are prepared to be the surrogate of  the baby to their masters.

Violet is a 16 years-old girl, that´s is auctioned as lot # 197, and from the moment of her sale she can only be referred to as 197 or the surrogate of the House of the Lake. And despite living in luxury, because she´s dressed and lives in opulence, is well fed and have a lady-in-waiting that serves all her needs, Violet still is a prisoner until she can get pregnant and give birth to a healthy baby to the House of the Lake, then her future is uncertain. So Violet must find a way to escape her fate.

Violet is very naive and she lives in a brutal dystopian world, with a combination of old and new, where royalty has all the power and can dispose of the life of their subjects at any time. There is a clear power play among the royalty that directly affects the security of Violet.

My biggest problem with the story was the romance, because is insta-love and I didn´t believe for a moment.

A character that intrigues me a lot is Lucien, he´s the lady-in-waiting of the Electress, his intentions toward Violet are unclear, is he an ally or someone who just wants to use her for his own purposes.

Overall, it´s a good dystopian book (if you don't take into account the insta-love) with an interesting and unique story (although some elements reminded me Archetype -. I have not read The Selection, nor The Handmaid's Tale, so that I can not comment if they´re similar), it has some interesting and unexpected twists and that ending hooked me to read its sequel - The White Rose. This trilogy definitely has so much potential.

Book trailer

Review: The Ruby Circle by Richelle Mead

Title: The Ruby Circle (Bloodlines #6)
Author: Richelle Mead
Publisher: Razorbill
Release date: February 10th 2015

Rating: 4.5/5

Buy on: Amazon | B&N | BookDepository

You can read my review of The Golden Lily - here, The Indigo Spell - here, The Fiery Heart - here & Silver Shadows - here

THEY WILL BE TESTED

Sydney Sage is an Alchemist, one of a group of humans who dabble in magic and serve to bridge the worlds of humans and vampires. They protect vampire secrets - and human lives.

Their forbidden romance exposed, Sydney and Adrian find themselves facing the wrath of both the Alchemists and the Moroi in this electrifying conclusion to Richelle Mead’s bestselling Bloodlines series.

When the life of someone they both love is put on the line, Sydney risks everything to hunt down a deadly former nemesis. Meanwhile, she and Adrian becomes enmeshed in a puzzle that could hold the key to a shocking secret about spirit magic, a secret that could shake the entire Moroi world and alter their lives forever.

Don't miss their unforgettable final chapter...

LOVE WILL CONQUER ALL

This more than a review of The Ruby Circle, is me rambling about it.

Okay, and just to clarify Bloodlines is the spin-off of the Vampire Academy series, so after reading 12 books of Moroi, Damphirs and 8 books (of those 12) on the alchemists, the story comes to an end (hopefully not), no more books about Adrian Ivashkov, Sydney Sage, Rose Hathaway and/or Dimitri Belikov (unless I reread them). I will miss them....

There were many times throughout the series that I said that one of my favorite characters and my fictional boyfriend is Adrian Ivashkov (I love him since Frostbite), so I'm not very partial or impartial in regard to him, to all the other characters I can find fault on them but I just can´t any on him, and it was difficult for me to read this book, I did not want it to end, I was divided between read it slowly and enjoy it or hurry up and you just know how it ends.

I loved this book!!, I liked the action scenes because Sydney and Adrian fight with their powers such as human magic and spirit magic respectively, I also loved that Adrian does many things with spirit that I didn´t know he could do; also it has a good dose of romance, it has a good ending, but it didn´t felt so extraordinary, it was a little bit anticlimactic. But it's a good ending.

SPOILER - DO NOT READ IF YOU HAVEN´T READ THE RUBY CIRCLE - SPOILER

During this series the idea of ​​making some kind of vaccine? or potion? using spirit to help somehow the damphis and Morois with their battle against the Strigoi, made some progressing the previous book, but in The Ruby Circle I felt that there wasn´t a follow up.

I liked the fact that Dimitri is a relative of certain Moroi I adore and love, I found it very funny, but in my opinion it lacks a little of follow up.

Declan is character that´s introduced in this book and he becomes a very important little person in the life of Adrian and Sydney.

I liked the epilogue because it takes place a year and a half after Jill´s rescue and we can see most of the couples of the series having a Christmas dinner, catching up on their lives. But I felt that something was missing in the ending (IMHO)

Some of the details that I found in this book that also needed some kind of follow up were subplots that were left unfinished (or at least I did not read when they were resolved), such as the vaccine or potion of protection that Sonya Karp was working on, the new laws that  Queen  Lissa was promoting, I never knew whether or not they passed. And the army of Morois that are presented in this book, whom are preparing for combat damphir-style, but also including their powers, in order to promote another law, that the Moroi need to be taught to fight in their school years.

But overall, I really loved The Ruby Circle, is captivating is action-pack with, romance and we get to see a lot of cameos such as Rose, Dimitri, Lissa and Christian. I LOVED this series.

Waiting On Wednesday(179): The Veil

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

The book I´m waiting this week is

The Veil (Devil's Isle #1) by Chloe Neill

Release date: August 4th 2015

Seven years ago, the Veil that separates humanity from what lies beyond was torn apart, and New Orleans was engulfed in a supernatural war. Now, those with paranormal powers have been confined in a walled community that humans call the District. Those who live there call it Devil's Isle.

Claire Connolly is a good girl with a dangerous secret: she’s a Sensitive, a human endowed with magic that seeped through the Veil. Claire knows that revealing her skills would mean being confined to Devil’s Isle. Unfortunately, hiding her power has left her untrained and unfocused.

Liam Quinn knows from experience that magic makes monsters of the weak, and he has no time for a Sensitive with no control of her own strength. But when he sees Claire using her powers to save a human under attack—in full view of the French Quarter—Liam decides to bring her to Devil’s Isle and the teacher she needs, even though getting her out of his way isn’t the same as keeping her out of his head.

But when the Veil threatens to shatter completely, Claire and Liam must work together to stop it, or else New Orleans will burn…

Why I'm Waiting?

Lately I been reading more UF/PNR books, that´s why I´m very intrigued by The Veil and can´t wait to read it.

What book are you waiting this week?

Leave your WOW links 

Stacking the Shelves (47): June

Stacking the Shelves is a meme hosted by Tynga´s Reviews, which showcases the books we've purchased, won, borrowed and received in the mail. 

These are the books I got in June.

FOR REVIEW

Hello, I Love You by Katie M. Stout

A Million Miles Away by Lara Avery
Emmy & Oliver by Robin Benway
Legacy of Kings (Blood of Gods and Royals #1) by Eleanor Herman

Thanks to the publishers, Edelweiss and Netgalley for the eARCs.

BOUGHT

Inferno (Chronicles of Nick #4) by Sherrilyn Kenyon

Illusion (Chronicles of Nick #5) by Sherrilyn Kenyon

The Beautiful and the Cursed (The Dispossessed #1) by Page Morgan

The Winner's Curse (The Winner's Trilogy #1) by Marie Rutkoski

FOR MY KINDLE

Rites of Passage by Joy N. Hensley

Openly Straight by Bill Konigsberg
The Orphan Queen (The Orphan Queen #1) by Jodi Meadows

Reasons I Fell for the Funny Fat Friend by Becca Ann
Triangles by Ellen Hopkins

Instant Attraction (Wilder #1) by Jill Shalvis

Instant Gratification (Wilder #2) by Jill Shalvis

Instant Temptation (Wilder #3) by Jill Shalvis

Dark Desires After Dusk (Immortals After Dark #6) by Kresley Cole
Kiss of a Demon King (Immortals After Dark #7) by Kresley Cole

What books did you get?

Leave me your link in the comments.

Review: Magic Bleeds by Ilona Andrews

Title: Magic Bleeds (Kate Daniels #4)
Author: Ilona Andrews
Publisher: Ace
Release date: May 25th 2010
Reading level: Ages 18 and up

Rating: 5/5

Buy on: Amazon | B&N | BookDepository

You can read my review of Magic Bites - here, Magic Burns - here & Magic Strikes - here

Atlanta would be a nice place to live, if it weren't for the magic. When the magic is up, rogue mages cast their spells and monsters appear, while guns refuse to fire and cars fail to start. But then technology returns, and the magic recedes as unpredictably as it arose.

Kate Daniels works for the Order of Knights of Merciful Aid, officially as a liaison with the mercenary guild. Unofficially, she cleans up the paranormal problems no one else wants to handle - especially if they involve Atlanta's shapeshifting community. When she's called in to investigate a fight at the Steel Horse, a bar on the border between the territories of the shapeshifters and the necromancers, Kate quickly discovers that there's a new player in town. One who's been around for thousands of years - and who rode to war at the side of Kate's father. This foe may be too much even for Kate and Curran, the Beast Lord, to handle. Because this time Kate will be taking on family. 

I know that I sound like a broken record with my comments about this series, but I liked this book more than the previous book. The plot is engaging and so far it is getting better and better.

In the last three books we have slowly learned the origins of Kate Daniels, about whom is her biological father, and how her adoptive father trained her whole life to be the best fighter in addition to not draw attention to herself, to not get attachments of any kind, because this will weaken her, so she must not have empathy for others, because one day she will face her biological father and for this she needs to be alone without any friends or love interest that could drag her down. But the teachings of her foster father failed because Kate she feels empathy for others, actually for the first time in her life she´s having close friends, has an adopted niece and is open to the possibility of having a romantic partner.

In the last two books Kate and Curran have flirted in a very peculiar manner and on this book we see progress in the romance department. I liked them as a couple, because both are stubborn, obstinate, not very good to compromise on anything, but they gradually begin to make concessions for each other.

The threat this time is someone biologically close to Kate, someone very powerful whom will cause chaos to Atlanta, which is their specialty because it comes from someone who has been around for thousands of years and ended with several ancient civilizations, and Kate must try that her heritage is not discovered.

I loved this book because there is finally romance! It was time that Curran and Kate stop skirting around and accept their attraction, but nothing is easy between this two in battle or romance, they just don´t have peace with all the threats, especially because this threat affects them both. Magic Bleeds is an easy read, fast-paced and action-packed. I highly recommend this series, it´s amazing!.

Waiting On Wednesday(178): Everything, Everything

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

The book I´m waiting this week is

Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon

Release date: September 1st 2015

This innovative, heartfelt debut novel tells the story of a girl who’s literally allergic to the outside world. When a new family moves in next door, she begins a complicated romance that challenges everything she’s ever known. The narrative unfolds via vignettes, diary entries, texts, charts, lists, illustrations, and more.

My disease is as rare as it is famous. Basically, I’m allergic to the world. I don’t leave my house, have not left my house in seventeen years. The only people I ever see are my mom and my nurse, Carla.

But then one day, a moving truck arrives next door. I look out my window, and I see him. He’s tall, lean and wearing all black—black T-shirt, black jeans, black sneakers, and a black knit cap that covers his hair completely. He catches me looking and stares at me. I stare right back. His name is Olly.

Maybe we can’t predict the future, but we can predict some things. For example, I am certainly going to fall in love with Olly. It’s almost certainly going to be a disaster.

Why I'm Waiting?

I've been hearing a lot of buzz about this book and it sounds right up my alley.

What book are you waiting this week?

Leave your WOW links